AstraZeneca Singapore and Lucence have entered into an agreement to provide improved access to Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) testing for newly-diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer patients in the South-East Asia (SEA) region.

In 2020, the incidence of ovarian cancer in Asia alone accounts for more than half (54.4%) of the worldwide incidence, and is the 5th most common cancer in Singapore.

Typically, patients are initially treated with surgery and chemotherapy. Recently, studies have shown that Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors or PARPi, either alone or in combination, when used as first-line therapy could improve progression-free survival rates, particularly for patients with tumors that cannot repair a type of DNA damage.  HRD status is the biomarker that characterizes these tumors.

“This partnership with Lucence accentuates AstraZeneca’s ongoing push to tap into the expertise of healthcare innovators to help those suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer,” said Vinod Narayanan, Country President for AstraZeneca Singapore. 

Dr Min-Han Tan, Founding CEO and Medical Director at Lucence said, “Lucence is integrating our diagnostic capabilities in BRCA-mutant cancers and precision oncology database with AstraZeneca’s world-renowned pharmaceutical expertise to help awareness and accessibility of HRD testing in the community.”